Non-NDA parties to move SC against use of EVMs, says Chandrababu Naidu

Naidu said a decision in this regard was taken during the meeting of 15 non-NDA parties at Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi last night.

AMARAVATI, March 14, 2019: Some of the non-BJP parties have decided to approach the Supreme Court against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said here Thursday.

In his daily teleconference with Telugu Desam Party leaders, Naidu said a decision in this regard was taken during the meeting of 15 non-NDA parties at Sharad Pawar’s residence in New Delhi last night.

A TDP release on the teleconference, however, did not give any further details on the issue. The TDP has been demanding that use of EVMs be abolished in the upcoming elections and that the Election Commission of India revert to the old ballot paper system.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, who was here a couple of days ago, maintained that “most parties” reposed faith in EVMs and regretted that some were making the EVMs part of their “motivated slugfest”.

Naidu also told his party rank and file that the opposition parties decided to forge a pre-election alliance and work with a common minimum programme. “There is a lot of antagonism towards Narendra Modi’s rule across the country. Democracy will be in danger in the hands of incompetent people. Our talks with national parties have been successful,” the release quoted the TDP chief as saying.

He, however, did not specify if the TDP would have a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. The Congress had already announced it would fight the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections, due in May, on its own.